[Guipnox]

Thanks. Is this coming from the official source?

There are actually two chips that could be identified as an isolator. On the first one Google translation is not giving clear answer. The "high performance clock processing" is not helping understanding. I can bet that a main clock synthesiser is located on the S/PDIF chip. A second one (circled) seems linked to the I2S output.

The store is YI FAN 4.4 Store.

On a different matter, I wonder how this little thing (it's from Lusya) would help (a much cheaper option):

 

[Guipnox]

Thanks. Is this coming from the official source?

There are actually two chips that could be identified as an isolator. On the first one Google translation is not giving clear answer. The "high performance clock processing" is not helping understanding. I can bet that a main clock synthesiser is located on the S/PDIF chip. A second one (circled) seems linked to the I2S output.

I think only Gustard U18 would be better than this (on paper).
Do you agree?

 

[sajunky]

The store is YI FAN 4.4 Store.

On a different matter, I wonder how this little thing (it's from Lusya) would help (a much cheaper option):

China have always been a mother of inventions, Frank Zappa can be be proud on you. This is an example you can get the best purchase in your life ever... or the worst. .LOL.

Lusya is just selling a black box. On this link we can find are some photos what is inside. My impression is that there is some newly developed USB receiver chip, so robust that it doesn't need TVS protection diodes, a pair audio ultra-low noise oscilators, but its powerful clock synthesiser is able to generate precise audio timing from a single ordinary 12MHz crystal, typically used for clocking microprocessors. Why do not use RC oscilator instead?


Elementary PCB, but still need a fix with a wire soldered directly to the pins of IC's. Yeah! I got it working!!!

There is a Pulse transformer or a Chineese clone, not very bad.

Coming back to the receiver chip, it must be some new (unknown) development, marking is removed to avoid litigation from the manufacturer. Yes, a lawsuit - what is going on? It looks like a pre-production batch that didn't deliver a stable product. It should be destroyed, but someone sold it to the Chineese retailers. Some chips only work with 16/44.1kHz source, other 24/96kHz, with a maximum on offer 192kHz. It is why we get different price for exactly the same hardware. At least someone made an effort to manually select a colour. .LOL. It brings a question of long term reliability as well.

 

[Guipnox]

China have always been a mother of inventions, Frank Zappa can be be proud on you. This is an example you can get the best purchase in your life ever... or the worst. .LOL.

Lusya is just selling a black box. On this link we can find are some photos what is inside. My impression is that there is some newly developed USB receiver chip, so robust that it doesn't need TVS protection diodes, a pair audio ultra-low noise oscilators, but its powerful clock synthesiser is able to generate precise audio timing from a single ordinary 12MHz crystal, typically used for clocking microprocessors. Why do not use RC oscilator instead?


Elementary PCB, but still need a fix with a wire soldered directly to the pins of IC's. Yeah! I got it working!!!

There is a Pulse transformer or a Chineese clone, not very bad. However it is the same model as on the U2Pro for a coax port. AES/EBU use larger voltage levels, I am afraid, this transformer is not able to create such voltage swing and is not a balanced design. To do it properly, it would require a pair of transformers or chose different model for a balanced output.

Coming back to the receiver chip, it must be some new (unknown) development, marking is removed to avoid litigation from the manufacturer. Yes, a lawsuit - what is going on? It looks like a pre-production batch that didn't deliver a stable product. It should be destroyed, but someone sold it to the Chineese retailers. Some chips only work with 16/44.1kHz source, other 24/96kHz, with a maximum on offer 192kHz. It is why we get different price for exactly the same hardware. At least someone made an effort to manually select a colour. .LOL. It brings a question of long term reliability as well.

I didn't read your post in time lol
So I bought it.
Let's try and see what happens.
I guess better than my printer USB cable it must be.

 

[TupuHiRez]

I found the Douk last year and swore by that thing until one day Amazon put the SMSL PO100 Pro in my recommendations. In short the SMSL perceptibly improves on the Douk. I'd live with either, but having heard both and with a few DACs in my possession, I'd choose the SMSL PO100 Pro. Either gives massive improvements with my Topping DX7 Pro with SparkOS op-amps, PS Audio Gaincell DAC, and Gustard A26. I only use I2S day to day, and after comparing to Coax and optical, I2S has musch better sound overall. The rest of the system goes a long way to exposing the differences and in the end, the bass is very well defined, powerful, and deep. Overall either provide more clarity, smoothness, detail in all aspects, and no sibilance unless it's the recording. I'm curious how much better a more expensive DDC would sound, like how much more accurate will the data stream get, especially since the pricier units use the older XMOS chips.

Happy Listening!

 

[sajunky]

I found the Douk last year and swore by that thing until one day Amazon put the SMSL PO100 Pro in my recommendations. In short the SMSL perceptibly improves on the Douk. I'd live with either, but having heard both and with a few DACs in my possession, I'd choose the SMSL PO100 Pro. Either gives massive improvements with my Topping DX7 Pro with SparkOS op-amps, PS Audio Gaincell DAC, and Gustard A26. I only use I2S day to day, and after comparing to Coax and optical, I2S has musch better sound overall. The rest of the system goes a long way to exposing the differences and in the end, the bass is very well defined, powerful, and deep. Overall either provide more clarity, smoothness, detail in all aspects, and no sibilance unless it's the recording. I'm curious how much better a more expensive DDC would sound, like how much more accurate will the data stream get, especially since the pricier units use the older XMOS chips.

Happy Listening!

I see your post count is one. There is another user recommending SMSL PO100 Pro over U2 Pro and even claiming that Douk Audio works unstable with higher sampling rates. It also has low post count. Coincidence?

After such warm welcome, you will probably stop reading, but I have to say few things.

First, SMSL is not a DCC, just a data converter. A main job of a DDC is redirecting ground loops, but it has no provision for the external power supply. Check out, in a title of this thread is a "poorman DDC", right? With external power supply sound quality usually improves. There is also a known issue with XMOS chip drawing to much power, many smartphones cannot afford it. Attaching power supply resolves a problem.

Secondly, the enclosure seems to be sealed (at least it is true in non-pro version), so you can't upgrade the unit with ultra-low noise oscilators. Read this thread, there is instruction how to do it on U2 or U2 Pro. Such $~30 upgrade brings performance to the $200 devices level.

 

[TupuHiRez]

I see you like to post this same message for some reason, I thought I saw this response for another post. Both devices serve the same function as other DDCs costing quite a bit more. Not sure what you're going about. I'm aware of the need for quality power, I'm not looking to write a book about how I implement each component in my system. In any case, USB audio doesn't have clock information per the standard, the receiving device must handle that. You're suggesting the SMSL is doing something different than the Douk or any other DDC? Ground loop has what to do with the incoming USB stream being assigned a stable clock? I need my data to have a proper clock going to the DAC, either unoit does the job, one more stable than the other in certain cases. I prefer the performance had by using USB --> I2S. That's about all I and I think most people will care about. This was a cheap test to see if the theory held up as discussions I've come across have quite a few blindly assuming it's not even needed or can't understand why it would be needed. Along with other things that I've done on the data delivery side, I've reached a point where I'm not sure if I'll hear much more difference with a more expensive unit.

https://www.kitsunehifi.com/product...gital-interface-femto-second-clock-interface/ <-- DDC or Nah?

 

[lhnam]

Just got the version with the Crystek CCHD-957 oscillators. A large step up over the standard version: more detailed, refined, greater sense of space, including acoustic decay and with better dynamics, transients and bass weight.

Check out my OTT semi-portable Douk-based rig!



Adding the Holo Audio Titanis USB regenerator/galvanic isolator takes it up the same level again - actually more I reckon - the effect is more than additive, it's synergistic with the Douk. The two together allow the Gryphon to play superbly refined, detailed and dynamic with a lovely black background and any trace of digital glare banished. If you can find one - they're in short supply - I highly recommend the Titanis which works equally well in front of the U18 DDC. I'm thinking seriously of getting a second one if I can find one.

The rig sounds indecently good for the money and is not a long way behind my Gustard R26 + OCK-2 based main system which is crazy for a semi-portable rig.

Hi, Titanis is no longer produced. I want to use JitterBug FMJ instead of Titanis. I don't know if it will work.

 

[Jake2]

Hi, Titanis is no longer produced. I want to use JitterBug FMJ instead of Titanis. I don't know if it will work.

Correct. I'd get one of these guys, the latest generation of isolation chips - ADUM4166
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mPdwQiw

 

[sajunky]

Correct. I'd get one of these guys, the latest generation of isolation chips - ADUM4166
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mPdwQiw

This is an affilliate link. Here is a profit free link:
https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256806124557142.html

Yes. This is a member of a new generation of USB isolator chips ADuM3165 series from Analoge Devices. Similar one is from Texas Instrument ISOUSB211. Tests made with both vendors development boards show TI board sounds better. And TI chip supports test command, AD chip do not. Otherwise there are fully USB 2.0 compatible.

Make no mistake, there is no conversion to the synchronous audio formats. It is not a DDC. There is no downgrading transfer rates below asynchronous UAC 2.0 standard. This type of data delivery to a DAC adds no jitter. Do you use Intona isolators? A cost is in a bracket of a quality DDC like DI-20 / DI-24. Everything else is fake or suffer compatibility problems.

From now you can expect market flooding with USB isolated hubs or dongles in the price between $30-$50. Like these on a screenshot based on the obsolete ADuM3160 chip.

 

[lhnam]

This is an affilliate link. Here is a profit free link:
https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256806124557142.html

Yes. This is a member of a new generation of USB isolator chips ADuM3165 series from Analoge Devices. Similar one is from Texas Instrument ISOUSB211. Tests made with both vendors development boards show TI board sounds better. And TI chip supports test command, AD chip do not. Otherwise there are fully USB 2.0 compatible.

Make no mistake, there is no conversion to the synchronous audio formats. It is not a DDC. There is no downgrading transfer rates below asynchronous UAC 2.0 standard. This type of data delivery to a DAC adds no jitter. Do you use Intona isolators? A cost is in a bracket of a quality DDC like DI-20 / DI-24. Everything else is fake or suffer compatibility problems.

From now you can expect market flooding with USB isolated hubs or dongles in the price between $30-$50. Like these on a screenshot based on the obsolete ADuM3160 chip.

Do you have any suggestions for combining with u2 pro femtosecond in addition to Holo Titanis to improve sound quality?

 

[sajunky]

Do you have any suggestions for combining with u2 pro femtosecond in addition to Holo Titanis to improve sound quality?

I do not. See this post.

 

[Jake2]

[/QUOTE]

Do you have any suggestions for combining with u2 pro femtosecond in addition to Holo Titanis to improve sound quality?

It's impressive how much better the Douk (or U18) can perform given a low noise USB feed, lets them strut their stuff.

For a highly rated portable form factor latest gen high speed USB regenerator/isolator that's not too pricey I'd actually suggest trying Hifimediy's newest USB isolator:

https://hifimediy.com/product/hifime-high-speed-usb-isolator-v2/

Supposedly it uses one of the latest chips, but my googling hasn't revealed which one..

 

[sajunky]

Inexpensive mainstream isolator dongles are already on Aliexpress. All under heading "high speed USB isolator", particular chip version not disclosed, but it is assumed one of those two chip families, as there is nothing else available on this price. Examples:

EDIT: wrong - beware, there are, refer to this post.

$40 dongle:
https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256805150133844.html

$39 In-cable version and a more expensive USB 3.0 optional. Still with a high-speed transfers, so not really 3.0. The only difference is probably in the current drawn limits.
https://www.aliexpress.us/item/2255801100115347.html

I would prefer a dongle version, but with a socket for the external power supply (iDefender style) at the same price. As long as it is not available a version $69 posted earlier is the best value.

There is also isolated hub $55, it comes with 2A SMPS PSU, also good value:
https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256804813827430.html

 

[lhnam]

sajunky Jake2 What do you guys think about this issue when using Jitterbug fmj?